Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts

Thursday, December 22, 2016

The Christmas Card List by Morgan Mandel

This is a revised version of a short story I wrote in 2009 for a friend's blog. Since it's one of my favorites, I'd like to share it with you this Christmas Season.

Although this is a work of fiction, some of its aspects still ring true for me and many others who send out Christmas cards each year. I hope you enjoy it.



Abby frowned, as she set the Christmas cards on the kitchen counter and reached for her pen in the junk drawer. What used to give her joy now filled her with sadness. Once she’d groaned at the money she’d spent on cards and stamps. She wished that were still true.

Time marches on. Many of the people who’d touched her life were gone. Some had moved on and left no forwarding addresses, but too many others now resided where no mail could reach them.

I miss you,” she said aloud to the empty kitchen.

A wintry afternoon snow/sleet mix pelted the windows. The wind howled, reinforcing Abby's feelings of abandonment.


Christmastime was supposed to be a happy season, but she couldn’t shake off her melancholy. She should be grateful for those who were left, and she was. Still, she longed for the one’s she’d never see again. Mom and Dad, sis, her niece, Nancy, her good friends, Judy and Maureen, and so many others were not around anymore. At times like this, she regretted not finding someone to share her life. Then again, maybe he’d have gone the way of the others.

She padded on her fuzzy slippers to the wooden table, pulled out the matching chair and began penning notes inside the cards.


It was hard to make her stiff fingers move right, with the arthritis taking over, not to mention she was more used to typing than writing in cursive.

Forty years as an administrative assistant, first on a typewriter, then a computer, did that to a person. Five years after retirement, she still hardly wrote, choosing to use a keyboard instead.

That reminded her. She hadn’t checked her e-mail and blogs. She’d do it after she finished the cards. Her heart lifted at the thought.

All too soon she’d stamped the few cards, placed Christmas seals on their backs, and secured them with a rubber band. She’d mail them tomorrow. For now, she’d switch on the laptop computer on her kitchen desk and see what everybody in the cyber world was up to.

The usual mass of e-mails awaited her from e-groups she’d joined over the years. Also, she hadn’t gone through her blog roll yet to see what was going on there, not to mention the Facebook and Twitter posts.

Smiling, she entered the world of her cyber friends, and commiserated and/or cheered, according to what was appropriate. Janet had had a baby girl and both were doing fine, Sue’s dog was eating chair legs, John wanted suggestions for an inexpensive, caring Christmas gift for his girlfriend.

When Abby started to get hungry, a glance at the monitor’s clock surprisingly told her two hours had passed. 


The time had been well spent. Though she’d only met one or two of them in person, her online friends were real and important to her. Every day they shared secrets, triumphs and sorrows with each other. Wasn’t that what friendship was about?

She wasn’t so alone after all. A feeling of warmth stole over her, kind of like when she drank a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day. Her snail mail list may have diminished, but her Internet friends had grown. 


She was truly blessed. Smile widening, she got up to fix dinner.


Merry Christmas, Cyber Friends!

Morgan Mandel

Facebook:



Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Sunday, November 18, 2012

My Guest, Romance Author Debra St. John, Tells Us About Her Next Big Thing for Thanksgiving

My guest today is a very good friend of mine and a great romance author, by the name of Debra St. John. Debra is answering questions to share her Next Big Thing for Thanksgiving with us.

What is the title of your book?
An Unexpected Blessing

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I wanted to write a Thanksgiving story, so I had a lot of the background details in my head. I knew it would include all the best things about the holiday: food, things to be thankful for, and time with family. I also knew I wanted the setting to be a small town. The actual plot for the storyline just came to me one day.

What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary romance. I’d call it cozy with some spice!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Well, he’s not really an actor, but country singer Justin Moore has the right look and the right smile to play Joe. I think Natalie Portman would make a good Katy.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When an ex-con and the girl he’s had a secret crush on for years reunite, the sparks fly and attraction blooms, but their love is put to the test by small town gossip that can’t get over his past.

Is your book self-published or represented by an agency?
It’s available from The Wild Rose Press.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About two months.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, but it so often gets pushed aside and forgotten in the rush to get to Christmas. I wanted a book to celebrate all of the wonderful things about Thanksgiving.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
My heroine, Katy, shares my views about Christmas needing to wait its turn in order to give Thanksgiving its rightful due!

Links:


Excerpt:
 “Are you going to dance with me or not?”
     “Yes, ma’am, I am.” He stood and offered his hand.
     She slid hers into his warm grasp. As always, his touch caused a little shock in her heart. The weight of a hundred pairs of eyes followed them out onto the floor. The dirt was packed smooth, and a ring of hay bales marked the area. Her tummy quivered with a combination of nerves and anticipation.
     He found an open spot, which wasn’t difficult with the other couples affording them a wide berth, and then curved his arm around her waist to draw her close. Her body fit perfectly against him. A shiver tingled through her. She rested her free hand on his shoulder.
     His thigh brushed hers as he rhythmically shuffled his feet to the music. His gaze captured and held hers. The rest of the room faded as she stared into the warm, melted chocolate brown of his eyes.
     She didn’t care that people whispered. Snuck glances. Or outright gaped. All she cared about was swaying to a soft, slow beat. The quicker thud of her heart. Strong arms wrapped around her. And the desire to stay right where she was. Maybe forever.

Please welcome Debra St. John by leaving a comment. 

To see my review of Unexpected Blessing, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/An-Unexpected-Blessing-ebook/dp/B00A53KMSC

Monday, December 29, 2008

What is the Best Time to Post?

I've been wondering. Is it better to post a blog way at the beginning of the day or wait until afternoon? How many people have time to read a blog bright and early?

On weekdays, many are rushing to get ready for work in the morning. On weekends, they're probably catching up on sleep.

On the other hand, some people do have time and make it a habit to access the Internet before work, or while commuting by using a laptop computer or other device. Some are lucky enough to receive full Internet access at work with no restrictions.

Other workers wait until evening when they can sit in front of their computers and read email and blogs at their leisure.

Retirees, stay-at-home-moms or Mr. Moms, the work-from-homers, when do they like to read blogs and email? Does it change from day-to-day or do they have certain down times from their duties when they go online?

What is your preferred time for reading blogs, or does it vary? Please share.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Blog, Website, or Both? By Morgan Mandel

Lately, I've spent more time here on my blogspot than on my main website. I'm trying to get it just right so people will know more about me as a person and as an author through reading my posts. Hopefully, they'll want to look further and check out my novels. I do try to keep my website updated, but not every day.

That got me wondering...

How many people use a blogspot as a website?
How many own websites but not blogs?
How many people prefer both?

Pro Blogspot
I update my blogspot here every day by doing a new post, but can't say the same for my website.

My blogspot is a capsulized version of my website, including vital information, such as links to book excerpts, order information, other blogs, a blogroll, my website.

Pro Website
I offer lots more information on my website which I can't fit into the blog. That makes it much more diversified. It's chock full of book signing photos, other author photos and links, badges from networks I belong to, and so much more. I can add pages at will, using different layouts, backgrounds and color patterns for diversity.

Still, for someone in a hurry, my website may seem cumbersome.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com/

Monday, September 15, 2008

SWEET ADDICTION By Morgan Mandel

Rascal's DoggySpace Profile Shot

I've got a sweet addiction, but it's not about sugar. It started innocently enough. I was over at Bentley's Corner Barkery with my husband and Rascal talking to Lisa, the co-owner, when she asked me if I'd joined DoggySpace. I'd heard of it, but had never signed up.

Saturday night, I had a few extra minutes after scooping water from the basement, so I put up a profile for Rascal, using a photo taken in the van on the last trip to Wisconsin. It was easy for Rascal to make friends. In 24 hours she already had 142.

Along with the profile shots, each member gets a journal spot, like a blog spot. Also, comment sections. They can give away virtual presents like frisbees or bones to each other.

I started reading some of the posts and they were fascinating. One was upsetting, about people who left dogs tied in their yards when they evacuated the hurricane area. Then there was a dog who suffered from separation anxiety and needed medication because the owner-husband had to go out-of-town for one day.

I'm finding it difficult to tear myself away. The dogs are so precious and the blogs so engrossing.

In a way I'm wasting time there, but not exactly. Most members of Doggyspace use the dog's point of view in their posts, as if the dogs were writing them. So, I'm getting great lessons in going deep into doggy point of view which will stand me in good stead as I continue on with my children's book about Rascal.

If you have a dog and would like to make virtual friends with Rascal, her profile page at Doggy Space is http://www.doggyspace.com/profile/15418.

Morgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com
http://mysteryturtles.blogspot.com

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Let Your Light Shine By Morgan Mandel


They say a pregnant woman has a glow about her. So should an author. To get people hooked on you and your books, be sure to let your light shine.

How?
Be enthusiastic.
Be friendly.
Be caring.
Be outgoing.
Be prepared.
Be everywhere.
Be smart.
Be everything.

Not easy, but only the uninitiated think it is!

Morgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com